Australian music seems to factor heavily into my world these days. Current bands like Amyl And The Sniffers, The Chats, and Private Function, as well as discovering older stuff I was unaware of like The Victims. Well, let’s add Vicious Circle to the latter list. This record is a reissue of the band’s 1984 demo (with an additional song from 1985), and right off the bat I was intrigued. Usually when thinking about old punk rock from Australia, I find it is almost invariably more along the lines of more ’70s-sounding stuff (Radio Birdman, The Saints, or the aforementioned Victims) whereas Vicious Circle clearly travels a North American hardcore path. I am not sure if this had to be cleaned up or not, but it sure sounds good for a damn near forty year old demo tape. Tight, legible hardcore. Clear vocals, just how I like. I’m not sure how they slipped past me but now I’m off to search out what else I have missed from these guys. –Ty Stranglehold (Not Like You)